NBA Reveals Joel Embiid’s All-Star Starter Replacement

Bam Adebayo of Miami is set to achieve a new milestone as he prepares to start in the NBA All-Star Game for the first time.

On Saturday, it was revealed that Adebayo will step in for Joel Embiid of Philadelphia as a starter for the Eastern Conference in the upcoming Sunday night’s All-Star game. Embiid, the current MVP and a two-time scoring champion will be absent due to a knee injury.

The decision to include Adebayo in the starting lineup was made by Bucks coach Doc Rivers, who is in charge of the Eastern Conference team for the All-Star event.

Previously selected as a reserve by the coaches for this season’s All-Star team, Adebayo’s inclusion marks his continuation of excellence, replicating his achievements from 2020 and 2023, including his victory in the skills competition at the 2020 All-Star weekend. He is now the seventh Miami Heat player to start in an All-Star Game, a distinction last held by Dwyane Wade in 2016.

Other Heat players who have started in the All-Star Game include Shaquille O’Neal, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Alonzo Mourning, and Anthony Mason, with Mason and Bosh both serving as injury replacements in past games.

Adebayo has a distinguished career, including being part of the gold-winning U.S. Olympic team in Tokyo 2021, and is anticipated to compete in the upcoming Paris Olympics. He is recognized for his defensive skills, having been named to the All-Defensive team four times and consistently ranking high in the Defensive Player of the Year awards over the last four seasons.

This season, Adebayo boasts impressive averages of 20.2 points, 10.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1 block per game in his seventh season with the Heat, also serving as the team captain for the first time. He is one of only three players this season, alongside Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo of Milwaukee, to achieve such statistics across all five categories.